Winter Triticale

Winter triticale (× Triticosecale) is a manmade hybrid of wheat and rye that is often grown for forage production. It can also be grown for grain and has the ability to exceed winter wheat’s yield potential in Minnesota. Winter triticale is less winter hardy than winter rye but similar to winter wheat. Winter triticale performs best in sandy loam, well-drained soils compared to fine textured soils with poor internal drainage.   

Results of the University of Minnesota’s variety performance evaluations are summarized in Tables 1 and 2. The winter triticale performance trials were grown near Lamberton, LeCenter, Becker, Crookston and Roseau in 2024.  The agronomic characteristics, and grain quality are summarized in Table 1. Days to heading, plant height, straw strength, test weight, and grain protein have been converted to a 1-9 scale to allow for more straightforward interpretation of the data. Test weight of winter triticale is generally less than that of winter wheat or winter rye. The official grade requirement for US No.1 triticale is 48 lbs/bu, compared to 56 lbs/bu for winter rye and 60 lbs/bu for winter wheat.  Differences in days to heading, plant height and straw strength are generally much less in the northern half of the state. In the southern half of Minnesota, the differences between varieties for these characteristics are greater as the period of vegetative growth is generally longer in the south, especially with early and mild springs. Therefore, the averages of the actual data can be misleading. Varieties with lodging scores greater than 6 should be chosen with caution as lodging can reduce harvestability, yield, and quality. This is especially important if soils are highly fertile. 

For comparison, the 3-yr average of relative grain yield of tested varieties is presented in Table 2. A test weight of 48 lbs/bu was used to convert the grain yield to bu/acre. The average yield across the six testing locations included in the average was 127 bu/acre in 2024.  This compares to 112 bu/acre average in 2023 and a three-year average of 139 bu/acre. Test weight of winter triticale is generally less than that of winter wheat or winter rye.  To convert the grain yield, a test weight of 48 lbs/bu was used 

Project Leader - Jochum Wiersma

Test Plot Managers - Dave Grafstrom, Rafael Moreira, Mark Peterson, Donn Vellekson, and Travis Vollmer.


2024 Data